Bomb In A Birdcage
by North I-75
Summary: Anais - quiet, thoughtful, and a girl with a killer swing - finds herself traveling south with an acquaintance from home to survive and outwit the Creepers that began to plague Earth. There's only one problem, Anais can't live without insulin. Drabble Daryl x OC
1. The Glorious Dead

**The Glorious Dead**

Her name was Anais.

His name was Petyr. And Petyr had just saved her life.

The man stood above the limp body, blood and brain matter here and there all over the floor. Petyr's bat had a fine film of black stickiness on the end, a testimony to his accomplishment. The man looked over at Anais, her hands grasping the end of her shirt has she was holding it up to carry the contents in her shirt.

"What do you have there?" he asked her rather blankly, the white lab coat on his shoulders told her everything she needed to know. He was the pharmacist and she was taking his property. When Anais didn't answer and just stared back at him, Petyr walked forward and took a peek at the contents in her shirt.

Petyr didn't say a word as he gently took hold of her arm and had her follow him, "Do you have a vehicle?"

Anais nodded, Petyr gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't mind if I tag along? You could have use of me."

Anais didn't object. Petyr grabbed a few bags from the back office and began shoveling medications off of shelves and into the bag. Anais had stood and watched but grabbed a bag herself and stuffed her medication as well as others into the bag. "It's getting worse isn't it?"

His question had caught her off guard. She stared back at him, her silence was his answer. "You know, if we're going to be surviving this together you might want to start talking."

Anais bit the bottom of her lip. Petyr had just forced himself into her life. And he planned on staying. He was a pharmacist, she reasoned that was good a reason to bring him along anyway. But something about him made her feel safe, even if he hadn't been a doctor.

"Anais. My name is Anais."

Petyr smiled, "Well Anais, let's get this show on the road."

…

**A/N****: **Hello, glad you decided to take a peek at my little drabble-ish story for the Walking Dead. This has actually been a story I started a year and a half ago when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and kind of needed an outlet to write about my frustrations with my predicament and the things I was feeling during those first few months. I'm fine now, I promise! So the main character is not myself, I promise you that. But she does exhibit some of the feelings I was going through a year ago… Any way. I just hope you enjoy this as much as I have since starting it.

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own the Walking Dead, just Anais and Petyr.


	2. His Young Heart

**His Young Heart**

"I think it best we stay away from the big cities," Petyr shared as he took a meaningful glance at Anais, if only it was for a few seconds. His eyes ultimately went back to the map of Ohio in front of him. "Going south, as far south as we can."

"Why south?" Anais asked quietly. She was thinking. She was a thinker. That was the only reason she was quiet all the time. Petyr had grown accustom to that fact. And he appreciated it most times. Other's he would kill for her opinion.

"Power grids are out, Anais. Think about it. When winter strolls along we're not going to have heating when we hunker down. The farther south we go, the less heat we have to worry about getting when winter does roll along."

Petyr's reasoning was sound. Anais made a little hum before looking at the map. "We should get off at Loveland, hit state route 48 and go around the outskirts of Cincinnati then."

"So 48, then we run into 28 and hit up 132 and the others until we're south enough of the city and get back onto i-75."

"That is if it isn't crowded and blocked," Anais motioned with some assurance. "Either way we've got to find a way over the Ohio River."

The back of the car was filled with medication, food, blankets and pillows and assault weapons that they had raided from a gun shop. Neither knew how to use them but Petyr wasn't too concerned considering they were trying to keep out of sight and mind of the creepers. The bat and crowbar Anais had in her car were good enough for the mean time.

"You know this area pretty well," Petyr remarked. The tension in Anais's jaw would slacken and tense again as she continued to think.

"This was my hometown," she said quietly. Petyr gave a slight smile. "I'd ask you if you wanted to stop home but I feel as if we've already passed it haven't we?"

Anais's silence was Petyr's answer again. There was a slight guilt in his stomach but Petyr had to just smile, for her sake. They had been traveling together since Columbus. It was amazing how must Petyr didn't have to tell her on where to turn. But now that they were leaving the familiar and entering the unknown, Petyr would start to realize how much Anais would have to rely on him.

"When we get into Kentucky we're going to have to be on alert. Going into the Newport and Covington area will be dangerous."

"How 'bout we just follow the river east until we find a bridge," Petyr suggested as he looked down at the map again. "That way we won't have to worry about the city."

Anais nodded, "I would feel much better about that."

"Then we're aiming for Augusta, Kentucky." Petyr agreed.

The silence continued through the rest of the day. Petyr liked the sound of the girl humming next to him. It was comforting, such a simple sound. Every once in a while she'd ask if he'd want to listen to music. The first time he said it was okay, they didn't have too. But it was more for himself; he liked to listen to her. But then after the second time she asked, Petyr realized the music she was asking for was more for herself, something of a comfort. Petyr agreed to listen.

And so Anais slipped in a cd and the music played, Anais hummed, and Petyr smiled.

…

**A/N****:** Most of these chapters I've found I really enjoy writing out the growing relationship between Petyr and Anais. Their relationship is a key one for me, mainly because it's a resemblance between my brother and I but also because I find it amazing how people band together and grow strong relationships in these very terrible situations. This also was a small reminiscence of home, of not being able to go back but longing for it – memories, and thoughts of it. I find nostalgia can be a nice thing but in the end it will never get you where you need to be for the future.

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own the Walking Dead, just Anais and Petyr.


	3. Safe and Sound

**Safe and Sound**

They stayed the night in a cabin somewhere in southern Kentucky. They were close to interstate 75, only a twenty minute drive, but they kept their distance still out of nervousness. The cabin was secured after taking out the only creeper in the area.

A small fire was started in the fire place and Anais put a pot of water over top to boil for their meal that night. A full sized bed was in the corner, deer pelts and taxidermy was everywhere. The pitiful kitchen lay in the opposite corner of the bed and the outhouse was only a minute walk from the cabin. It was minimal but it would serve its purpose for the night. The windows had already been boarded up and there was a slot on the door and the wall for a plank of wood to be settled in, to keep whatever was outside out.

"We should be safe for the night," Petyr reasoned as he sat next to Anais on the small makeshift couch. "I don't think people would be camping out in the Daniel Boone National Forest. That's the last place on their mind."

Anais just hummed in response. Petyr smiled.

Before the instant noodles were ready, Petyr took out the medication in Anais's backpack and began prescribing a dose with a syringe. Anais pulled up the side of her shirt and laid back, a distant look in her eyes. Petyr stuck the needle in the girl's side and pressed the medication into her. After pulling out the syringe Petyr gave the girl a reassuring rub on her back. "You're doing well," he told her as he packed the medication back up.

"We should hit another pharmacy before we go over the state line," Petyr told her. "We need to gather as much of it we can."

Anais nodded as she took one of the bowls she had set out for the both of them. The noodles were ready to be eaten.

Petyr gave a weary smile, "Anais, we can do this. Don't worry. You're not going to die while I'm around."

…

**A/N****:** Again I'm working on building the relationship between these two characters in this short bit. It's the small moments in life that really, I feel at least, bring people closer. The fact that Petyr is there, willing to help, with Anais and taking the initiative to take care of her says a lot and means a lot. So, anyway, on to the next.

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own the Walking Dead, just Anais and Petyr.


	4. Wings of A Butterfly

**Wings of a Butterfly**

The first time Anais and Petyr came upon real people had been in Tennessee. They road interstate 75 down and tried their best to go around Knoxville but after passing the city, they were startled to find a family of three camped on the side of the road just outside of Sweetwater.

Petyr rolled the window down as Anais let the car rolled to a stop. The wife and husband came to the window, a little boy in the wife's hands. "Where are you from?" Petyr asked as he looked them over.

"Nashville, sir," the man said as he looked Anais and Petyr over, "And you?"

"I'm from Columbus, Ohio and she is from Cincinnati," Petyr nodded over to Anais. She stayed quiet as Petyr dealt with the interrogation.

"You're a long way from home," the man whistled. Petyr just smirked and looked back at the man's wife. "You stuck?"

"Not so much as stuck as I don't know where we are," the man explained with a sheepish expression. Petyr chuckled.

"You're a good twenty thirty minutes south of Knoxville," he told them. "Were you going anywhere in specific?"

"No, no." The man said wearily. "We're just looking for safety."

"Do you know how to shoot a gun?"

The man looked Petyr over with what looked like a scoffing notion. "Who doesn't in Tennessee?"

Petyr hummed, something he noted he was picking up from the one girl sitting next to him. "Would you want to join us? We're trying to head as south as south goes."

The husband looked to his wife, who was pleading in a silence that all could feel within the conversation. The little boy in the mother's arms gave his father a pitiful look, which was reason enough for the man. "My name's Dave, this is my wife Sarah and our boy Noah."

"I'm Petyr and this is Anais," Petyr greeted with a smile. "You got a lot with you?"

"No, no. We left with just the essentials," Dave said with a sigh. "It looks like you've been living in your car with all of that supply."

Anais parked the car as she popped the trunk open and began moving blankets and pillows, boxes of food and back packs of medication into the trunk. Petyr helped the family move the small bags they had into the trunk as well and allowed the family of three to settle into the back of the car. With the weight doubled, Anais reasoned they would have to stop and syphon gas. Until then, she would just focus on the road.

Petyr kept up with conversation as they crossed over the state line once more. The gas meter chimed with annoyance once it hit just above empty. Anais cringed and looked to Petyr. He grimace as well, then looked to the family. "We're going to have to stop for gas soon. I'm going to have you on lookout duty as Anais and I syphon for gas."

Dave nodded and calmed his wife down as Anais came upon the first car just outside of Dalton, Georgia. It was abandoned on the side of the road next to a semi hook up that had been tipped over. Quickly, Dave grabbed for the binoculars underneath the seat and took up patrol as Anais and Petyr took a gas can and clear plastic hose to start the process of taking the gas.

They were quick about it, getting the gas and putting it in the car. Dave got back into the car and they were off before even one monster could have seen them.

"What do you know about the biters?" Dave asked Petyr then as they got back onto the road.

"Biters? Hm hadn't thought of that one yet," Petyr chuckled. "The one thing I know about 'biters' is that whatever is infecting them is through the blood stream. Much like a raccoon with rabies biting a dog. And it's permanent until you hit them in the head, then they're dead dead."

"I've noticed they can smell us," Anais added. Petyr looked to her astounded. He had always wondered what she was thinking when they would take out these monsters. "I've considered rubbing remains on the outside of the car for a sort of repellant. But I figured every time it would rain it would just wash off. So I haven't tried."

The group was silent once more before coming upon the town of Calhoun, "We should stay in the State Park nearby," Petyr pointed to the large green area on the map. "There should be a cabin somewhere in there."

Petyr was right. There were actually four cabins and it was agreed upon that they should all just stay together in the same cabin for the night. There were no creepers in the area, which eased the group a bit as they took their packs in. The one bed in the cabin was given to Dave and his family. Petyr helped Anais carry another makeshift mattress over to the cabin for the both of them to sleep on the floor. Dave had started a small fire and Anais went to gather water.

Petyr looked over their choice of food for that evening. Noodles.

When Anais got back and heated up the water the group gathered around and watched as Anais poured the packets of noodles in.

Eating was their main objective before finishing boarding up windows and putting up a door blockade for the night.

Petyr's routine kicked in, he grabbed for Anais's medical bag and started with prescribing a dose of medication into the syringe. Noah was already lying in bed, so when Anais lay back for Petyr to inject her it was only Dave and Sarah that watched with curiosity.

"Are you sick?" Sarah asked, Anais shrugged.

Dave looked to Petyr for an explanation. Petyr only handed Dave the glass bottle to show the man. "I don't understand. What is this?"

Petyr took the bottle back and placed it in the bag, "Anais is a type one diabetic. She doesn't produce insulin like you and I do. Therefore when she eats she is in need of it and I have to help inject it into her blood stream to help her body function correctly."

Dave gave a weak smile, "You've a rough life ahead of you."

Anais just gave a shrug and began to pour herself a bowl of the noodles, "I've lived this far without a problem. I look forward to the challenge."

Dave and Sarah kept quiet as Petyr took up the conversation then, keeping the family occupied and helping to get a bowl of noodles for their son. Sleep was something all of them craved after the last cup of noodles was eaten. After Dave and Petyr boarded up the windows and blocked the door they all headed to their sections of the cabin. Anais hadn't had to share a bed with Petyr until now. It didn't bother her but she just happened to take note of it.

Petyr slipped out of his shoes and watched as Anais changed into a t-shirt. With her bare back to him, he took noticed of the decent sized tattoo of a blue butterfly. "What type is it?"

"Monarch," Anais answered quietly as she pulled her shirt over her head and down to cover the art on her shoulder blade. Petyr smiled and lay back onto his pillow as he watched Anais continued to fold her clothing. When she was finished she laid back and stared at the ceiling.

With the sheets over top of them, Petyr would have never noticed until he felt the soft skin of her hand grab for his. Fear.

Petyr turned to face her, brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and kissed her temple. Anais looked over at him and eventually closed her eyes. She was his responsibility now. It was strange. How she had wandered into his pharmacy, a customer had just died on the floor and came back to life, following her into his life. And with her shirt full of the only thing that was keeping her alive, Petyr had killed the one thing Anais had over looked. And from then on, after realizing this girl was putting her life into his hands, with his knowledge and his training, he was her protector. They were family now. And nothing would separate him from her. Nothing.

…

**A/N****:** I didn't want our two characters to go traveling south without seeing a soul along the way. To me that would be really fishing and not really aesthetically correct with the timeline. There are still going to be survivors, even if there are just a few now. But I thought it would be nice to add an additional family into the mix if it was only for a short while. People are still willing to help one another out at this point and I think that is important as characters to still show that. Again, still working through building that relationship between Anais and Petyr. Eventually you'll notice a change, like that between a brother and sister. But it's not something that should be immediate. Shit like that doesn't just happen overnight. So it's not going to happen over just for chapters. That would just be weird…

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own the Walking Dead, just Anais and Petyr.


	5. Neck of the Woods

**Neck of the Woods**

The road was bare and there was a smell in the air that was offensive and reeked of petrol. "This doesn't settle well," Anais stated from the driver's seat. Petyr nodded, "I know what that is."

Dave and Sarah looked at Petyr expectantly, "It's the smell napalm gives off when burning."

The car was silent for a while. But Anais was getting nervous with how close they were getting to Atlanta. "Petyr."

"Just do as I say, we need to hit up a pharmacy anyway," Petyr said as they grew closer and closer. Finally Petyr asked Anais to take the exit to state route 278 where they drove west until they found a CVS or Walgreens. The stop was quick; Anais and Petyr went in through the back and had Dave stand guard. There was little left in the store and Anais quickly helped to grab what they could use. There was only two bottles of insulin left on the shelf. Anais bit her lip and looked to Petyr with concern, "Don't worry."

Petyr's reassurance was all she needed until Dave whistles quickly through the door, their sign to get out of there.

When they walked out there was a caravan of cars driving down the road. An RV was in the lead and slowed down when it noticed their group. Petyr walked forward and waved with an amount of enthusiasm that Anais envied. "Hey, you guys okay?"

Petyr smiled warmly at the old man that popped his head out of the window, "Yes, yes. Fine, we're just looking for medicine."

The old man looked back warily, "One of you bit?"

"No, no," Petyr insisted with a wave of his hands. "Just in case items, you know?"

The man looked them over once more then leaned out of his window to look at the car behind him. Petyr looked over at the car as well, the man inside nodded. Petyr wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but if he had to he would defend his group.

"Say, you going anywhere in particular? Would you like to tag along with us?" The white hair underneath the man's fishing hat somehow made Petyr feel safer.

"We were just heading south, as far south as south goes," Petyr said with a slight smile. "Hey Anais, how would you feel about following them?"

Anais walked forward, she stared at the man in the RV for a long moment, looking down the line at each car and the numbers in them. There was safety in numbers. Surely these people knew what they were doing and hopefully they were locals. Locals knew the area much better than she or the people in their group did. Anais gave a short nod before going back to the car and telling the others to get back in as well.

Before Dave could open the door a groan emitted from the depths of the CVS store. Anais was jumping over the car with her crowbar and wailing at the head of the creeper that had reached out for Dave. The action hadn't gone unnoticed by the new group, "We outta get out of here before more show up. Follow us if you're with us."

Anais looked to Dave and gave him a small pat on the back before heading back into the driver side. Petyr rushed over and hoped into the passenger seat. They were on the road thereafter, following the locals up back roads and through dirt paths until the terrain started resembling that of the valleys and hills of Anais's hometown. Nostalgia was her enemy.

The cars lined up on the side of the road, Petyr could see a quarry not too far off and the clearing was big enough to house tents and the RV. The large group of survivors started unpacking; some stared at the new comers. Petyr's group joined up with the elderly man again after parking. It seemed like introductions were needed, now that they had joined something much bigger than they anticipated.

The old man smiled and waved for the guy from earlier to come forward. "Shane, these are the new guys…"

"I'm Petyr, this is Anais, Dave, his wife Sarah and their boy Noah," Petyr named off one by one. Some of the older man's group started walking over for introductions as well. Dale introduced himself, then Shane their leader of sorts, Lori and her son Carl, T-dog and Jacquie, Amy and Andrea. There were others but they were too busy setting up a place to stay than wanting to get to know their new members.

"Y'all don't sound like you're from here," Shane admitted with an odd look about him. Anais stared at the man with a blankness that Petyr knew she was thinking. Shane took that in a different way though. "Where is it you're from?"

Petyr stepped up and gave a polite smile, "Anais and I are from Ohio and Dave and his family from Tennessee."

"Ohio?" Dale asked. "You're a long way from home."

Anais nodded, "As far south as south goes."

"Ah, you were saying that before," Dale pointed out. "What do you mean by that?"

"We figured when winter came along we'd find better shelter in the south, not so cold and we wouldn't have to work as hard for heat either. Ohio isn't the most ideal places in the winter, but it sure beats farther north." Petyr explained.

"And how long have you been on the road?" Shane asked looking between the people in the group.

Petyr looked to Anais, "I stumbled upon you… oh, four five days ago. That was in Columbus."

"I can't believe you made it down here that fast," Lori interrupted with amazement.

Anais grimaced, "You could get down here in one if it wasn't for the creepers around."

"Is it as bad up there as it is down here?"

"I don't think they were napalming our home if that's what you mean," Petyr chided with a slight smile. Lori and the others looked to each other with a tension that Petyr could only reason was from shock. It had only been last night since that scene had devastated so many people.

"Clearly a touchy subject," Petyr noted to Anais. The girl just smirked.

The leader of the new group let the newest members go to set up their own tents. Luckily Dave and Sarah were nice enough to have a smaller tent left over for Petyr and Anais, while they took the bigger one for their family. Petyr urged Anais to set it up over by the overlook of the quarry and the city. Anais didn't object.

Their supplies were placed into their tent as well as their bedding. The medical supplies were hidden under their pillows and sheets as well. Petyr made quick to talk with people around the camp, to see who were friendly enough to make friends with, while Anais took up eyeing the quarry.

She wasn't so sure what to do now that she had stopped moving for once in the past week. Things slowly started to creep up on her, thoughts she hadn't realized she'd suppressed so much that she'd nearly forgotten. What the hell just happened to her life?

One minute she was in an art school in Ohio and the next she was in a survival camp in the middle of Georgia. She had personally watched the end of one of her teacher's lives, then come back running after students. The next minute she was in her apartment gathering all that she could while hearing groans from the roommate's upstairs bedroom. Anais knew the only way for her to survive was to hit up a pharmacy and then seek shelter in the most secluded area in the States. But things were side tracked, people were added, and now she was here, alone and afraid for once.

Anais hid her eyes in her sleeves attempting to hide her shame from the rest of the world.

…

**A/N****:** So now we're on track with the Atlanta camp. I know it took a couple of chapters but I find stories become bland the instant a writer does that. Especially in the first chapter… that drives me nuts. Though I'm sure there are readers out there that love that kind of 'writing' but I'm not that type of writer. Sorry, if that was what you're looking for.

Anyway, the pace will pick up and slow down depending on the chapter. It is a drabble after all. I love short comical scenes when I can make them. Though this is a tragedy story I feeling allowing little moments of humor helps to make the characters and story more relatable.

*****I thought I should update you on some information about Anais, since I've clearly gathered some readers that don't know how to _read_. I _do_ know that Type 1 Diabetes is insulin dependent. Did I ever say or mention that Anais was Type 1 or Type 2 yet? _No_, I didn't. But I would think it is quite clear that we are dealing with Type 1 considering she's taking insulin, shouldn't we? In _my Authors Note_ in the first chapter, I mentioned that_ I_ was the one with Type 2 Diabetes _not_ Anais. Considering I've been living with this for some time now, that I've gone through classes - at the Hospital - and have done my research, since my Thesis for my senior year of college is about Diabetes, I think I know what I'm talking about, especially when it comes to my _own_ body. And by the way, Type 2 patients can end up taking insulin. I know plenty of people from my educational classes that were Type 2 patients and were taking Insulin as their treatment. Thankfully, I caught my situation soon enough that I didn't need insulin. I'm very thankful for that. So, I'm sorry to those that don't deserve this rant, but to those that do, "Before you speak ask yourself: Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve upon silence?"*****

So I thought I would treat you to one more chapter today since it might be the last time I update in the next two weeks.

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own the Walking Dead, just Anais and Petyr.


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